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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Wolfson Children’s Hospital has been ranked in six out of 10 categories in this year’s U.S. News Media Group’s Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. The six categories include eight pediatric medical and surgical subspecialities. This year’s rankings are double the number of categories the hospital ranked in last year. Wolfson Children’s Hospital first earned designation in 2007.

Wolfson Children’s Hospital ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation for:

• Diabetes and Endocrinology (recognized for the third year in a row)

• Urology (recognized for the second year)

• Neurology and Neurosurgery (recognized for the second year)

• Cardiology and Heart Surgery

• Cancer

• Pulmonology

“Wolfson Children’s Hospital deserves high praise for its accomplishments,” said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. “Wolfson Children’s Hospital has a reservoir of dedication and expertise that helps the sickest kids. Our goal at U.S. News is to identify and call attention to pediatric centers like this one.”

This year, U.S. News surveyed 178 pediatric centers to obtain hard data such as availability of key resources and ability to prevent complications and infections. The hospital survey made up 75 percent of the rankings score. A separate reputational survey in which 1,500 pediatric specialists—150 in each specialty—were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty made up the remaining 25 percent.

“U.S. News & World Report changed the way it rated children’s hospitals this year, with a much greater focus on the scope of each hospital’s services and the volume of patients, but most importantly, care-related quality indicators and outstanding clinical outcomes,” says Michael D. Aubin, president of Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

Aubin also says, “We are very pleased that the outstanding care provided by the physicians, nurses and staff with Wolfson Children’s Hospital and our pediatric partners – Nemours Children’s Clinic, Jacksonville, the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville and Mayo Clinic Florida – is being recognized nationally once again. As a pediatric referral center, Wolfson Children’s Hospital is bringing patients from all over the region, the state and even internationally to Jacksonville for world-class pediatric care, and this recognition only further enhances our reputation and reach.”

“We are grateful to the families who trust us to treat their children as if they were our very own, and we greatly appreciate our pediatric partners who stand with us to provide world-class care,” says David Bailey, MD, MBA, President & CEO, Nemours.

“We continually strive to do the best for our young patients, so having our cardiology, cardiovascular surgery and neurosurgery physicians and staff receive this recognition is very rewarding,” says Mark Hudak, MD, chair of the University of Florida College of Medicine–Jacksonville Department of Pediatrics. “Together, all of the partners work tirelessly every day to improve the quality of life for children and their families at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.”

The full rankings and methodology are available at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals. The rankings will also be published in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2013 guidebook, which will be available in August.